


Confessions and Conspiracies

by justavagrant



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Conspiracy, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, I'll tag it as I figure out what it is, Love Confessions, Multi, Mutual Pining, Post-War, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24816667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justavagrant/pseuds/justavagrant
Summary: It's not been easy, but it's been worth every trial. Five years after the end of the Hundred Year War and the nations are prepared to celebrate. And Fire Lord Zuko...he is prepared to see his friends again. They've all been busy rebuilding and growing individually. Now they prepare to reunite in Ba Sing Se for the five year celebration.But not all are content with the way the world is going in, and could be willing to bring all four nations to their knees in order to regain even a semblance of the order they once knew. A new threat rises. The GAang must work together to figure out how to stop it.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

Five Years After

It was hard to believe how much time had passed. Zuko finds himself taking more time to reflect on years past as he sat there on the very throne that had caused so much harm. There had been great change in the past five years, since the Hundred Year War came to its conclusion. Zuko was humbled to be but apart of it as he worked to better the lives and culture of his people, working together to right the wrongs of the war. There was still much to do.

Zuko opened his eyes and raised his head from his hands, folded together in front of himself. He looked down from his place on the throne and his advisory counsel looked back at him, waiting. He remembers when those same gazes twisted something terrible within him, pangs of anxiety and doubt overriding him momentarily as he tried to think of something to say. It’d be a lie to claim he’d overcome this entirely but a confidence stood prominently now there before it, built up over the past five years he’d spent as Fire Lord. He was no longer so easily intimidated by their gaze, and he found it less imposing to speak and declare his final decisions before them.

“No. We won’t allow this false history to be taught. The youth of our Nation have every right to know what we were responsible for and learn from it. We will push for the education counsel to revise this oversight immediately.” 

His words held weight now, where once he might have faltered. And his advisors heeded them, understanding him, where five years ago they may have found room to argue. Granted this could partially be attributed to the fact that five years ago his counsel was primarily made up of his Father’s advisors, people that still held onto the old vision of the Nation. Over the years Zuko had slowly and amicably fazed them out, replacing his counsel with individuals he felt better could be trusted with the new aspirations of the Fire Lord; peace and accountability. Although there were still a select few from the old counsel that lingered. Zuko could pick them out with ease, as they bowed their heads or clenched their fists at their sides as the meeting came to a formal close. 

The Fire Lord took a steadying breath. There was still so much work to be done, but they would get there. He knew they could. As the room began to clear Zuko looked to one advisor in specific who had yet to stand up. His name was Akui and he was more intent than usual to stare the Fire Lord down with a haughty, challenging gaze. But Zuko didn’t shrink before him like he might have several years ago, before he was marked and before the end of the war. He leveled the older man’s stare with his own, more than a display of authority, but a promise for action. Akui’s gaze hardened before falling away, relenting before the Fire Lord. He stood and left with the other advisors. 

Once the large doors shut Zuko allowed himself to sigh haggardly into the empty room, shoulders slumping slightly as he unclasped his hands. That was his final meeting for the evening, marking the end to an excruciating long day, and not an entirely satisfying one. He was still meeting resistance from members of the education counsel concerning the new curriculum. Not all seemed to grasp the concept of unperceived propaganda and he was anticipating having to call a formal meeting to face the opposition directly. He greatly disliked having to wave his authority in that manner but it was beginning to become warranted. 

On the other hand...the day promised still relief and reward. Tomorrow marked officially the fifth anniversary of the end of the war. Warmth bloomed steadily in the young Fire Lord’s chest as he went to stand. He began to leave the large throne room, extinguishing the fire lights with a gentle inhale. Guards met him on the way out but as they began to follow him he waved his hand and shook his head. The two looked uncertainly at him and towards one another but proceeded to stand there as Zuko kept walking.

Tonight was a quiet night. He could stand to walk the distance between the throne and his quarters alone this time. He took his preferred detour, walking through the open hall cutting through the garden. His eyes peered over towards the shaded pond, the tree’s leaves a brilliant, warm red. The night air was just pleasantly humid, the breeze gently pulling at his top knot. It promised steady rain showers throughout the night, but the weather would be clear the next morning. Ideal for traveling to the Earth Kingdom.

Zuko paused on the walkway, tucked his hands into his sleeves and closed his eyes. And for a moment he allowed himself to feel the peace of the evening, heat rising over his face and in his chest as he breathed in and out. It had been a while since he’d seen everyone. 

Zuko greeted his guards at his chamber door, nodding to them as he entered and closed the door for the night. He removed the outer layer of his robes as he stepped towards his bed and side table. He’d left the two rolls of parchment there. After putting away his pieces of Fire Lord regalia, in a way he was sure some of the attendants would not approve of, he finished tying his evening clothes at the waist and sat down at the upper corner of his bed by the light. He picked up the first parchment, the broken Earth Kingdom seal pulling the top of the paper down. He smiled slightly at seeing the eloquent way ‘Dear Sparky’ was written at the top of the page. He liked to imagine the look of Toph’s scribe’s face as she told them what to write to none other than the Fire Lord. He was certain she derived some small satisfaction from it on the few occasions she found a reason to send him a letter, this time being to send him his official invitation to the Earth Kingdom for the Annual Celebration of the end of the war.

Zuko reminisces on the last time he saw Toph. He’s pretty sure it was when he went with Katara to visit her new metalbending school. It had still been getting fine-tuned at the time but that was...almost a full year ago now. A pang of guilt hit him and he resigned himself to getting punched when they saw each other again. They’d stayed connected via the odd letter but that was a sour replacement for in person. Toph still mentioned taking a field trip soon everytime she wrote and despite the fact that Zuko still had no idea what kind of field trip she was talking about he humored the idea of a painful camping trip with the master earth bender. He could only imagine. 

The last he saw Katara was when he visited the South Pole, roughly...six months ago? He’d been visiting on business, meeting with both of the Tribe leaders and going over trade dealings. The meeting had been pleasantly peaceful and he remembered it had been a relief to spend some time catching up with Katara afterwards. They had become incredibly close over the years, exchanging frequent letters. Though Zuko had to admit, he maybe hadn’t wished to know absolutely everything Katara shared about her and Aang. Most of the time when she talked about them it warmed his heart but every now and then...well those were images he hoped to never reconjure. Otherwise Katara would catch him up on her efforts to improve relations between the Southern and Northern tribes, fostering new benders to the South and rehabilitating prisoners who were freed after the war. Her letters were often the first to remind him how much there was still left to heal.

Zuko though realizes it’d been far longer since he’d seen Aang in person. The Avatar still contacted him frequently, keeping contact with their friendship as well as their progress on building a United Republic, though he remained physically distant due to his responsibilities as the Avatar. As well as an air nomad. Aang was working closely with Teo and his father to rebuild the other air temples, and the last he’d heard they were beginning to move non benders back into a few, teaching them the spiritual ways and history of the air nomads. It was arguably one of Aang’s biggest missions right now, next to Republic City. Zuko recalls the airbender mentioning Appa’s increasing moodiness towards the constant flight and travel between air temples and the earth kingdom, on occasion refusing to fly and forcing Aang to take a much needed break. He knew it was hard on Katara as well, the two missed each other and so he foresaw seeing little of each of them after the party. 

Then there was Sokka. Zuko’s heart flipped as he set down the invitation and picked up the second parchment. It had been three months since Zuko had seen the warrior and they had arguably been some of the most trying months since he first took the throne. Sokka and he had spent a lot of time together since the end of the war, and since Sokka had taken on the task of acting as ambassador between The Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation. Roughly for the past several years the warrior had spent most of his time living in the Fire Nation with Zuko. He remembered long nights spent in their quarters talking strategy, ranting about dignitaries that couldn’t understand their vision, and sharing fears they hadn’t with any others. For the first year of his reign Sokka had been his biggest support next to his Uncle in transitioning the Nation, in addition to his biggest advocate for taking care of himself. Sokka was always the one to drag him from his desk after days without seeing each other, either dragging him to bed or to a table with a meal on it.

In those years and in those small gestures he’d become so familiar with, Zuko had somehow fallen heart and spirit in love with the Water Tribe Warrior. He recognized this as something that likely began growing while they were on the Boiling Rock, fighting side by side and beginning to really discover who each of them were. It atleast started a long standing tradition of either one of them seeking the other out to talk and share things they might not have with anyone else. Zuko couldn’t say with any amount of confidence if Sokka felt the same as him, but he could wish. He could pretend he saw the other watching him with the same kind of longing when they lounged together on the balcony, or that he admired the way the moonlight spilled over muscles and glinted in blue eyes. 

Zuko’s thumb ran over the characters on the page in his hand, rereading the letter for possibly the eighth time. This had been the most recent one the Fire Lord had received from the Ambassador since he had left to work on negotiations concerning Republic City three months ago. He’d promised to write and write he had, sending a letter almost every week and receiving one every time from Zuko. He often wondered, or worried, if his true feelings for the warrior became evident with each new letter. Zuko wasn’t good at writing without being blunt, especially to Sokka, and the blunt truth was he missed him...a lot. He tried to distract from that truth as well as he could, instead bringing up business or asking how Sokka was transitioning to living part time in a third Nation. 

He’d hoped perhaps his feelings for his friend might have ebbed slightly as he moved away but they proved to only yearn harder. And he worried about the other finding out, being revealed entirely. Sokka had become incredibly important to Zuko in his life, and he hated to jeopardize it by admitting how he felt and opening up the potential of the warrior becoming distant from him. If Zuko couldn’t love Sokka romantically he thought he could settle for loving him platonicly. 

Regardless, Zuko couldn’t wait to see his friend once more. His boat was ready to sail tomorrow at Sun’s first light for the Earth Kingdom. Ba Sing Se was where Sokka had been living and working for the past three months and where their GAang would reunite to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the war’s completion. Despite the nerves that twisted and turned within him, they were bested by Zuko’s genuine excitement to see everyone again. To reconnect with the peace that they brought him...in addition to the chaos that seemed to turn the corner whenever they were all in a room together.

Zuko layed Sokka’s letter back on the side table, leaving it open as he blew out the small light. The room illuminated by the gentle glow of the moon peeking through the windows on the doors to the balcony. Zuko pulled the covers over himself and turned towards the light, falling steadily asleep to the imagined silhouette of his friend outside leaning against the doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I haven't written a fan fic since I was 13! But after ATLA went up on Netflix I've felt inspired to try and exercise my hand at it again. Because this show is special and also I've realized it's probably great practice to learn how to write someone else's characters for once. So here I am! Feel free to leave feedback, I'm here to improve and I hope to spin a pretty exciting yarn. In later chapters though you might be able to guess where my inspiration came from for this story, and even future stories. 
> 
> I hope you all like it anyway. This first chapter and the next will set the stage for what's to come!


	2. Chapter 2

Plotting

Akui couldn’t believe the state of things these days. Peace was one thing, or whatever veil of peace people tried to call it, but the way the Nation and the world was going in was becoming too much. The aged man sneered to himself as he paced. The idea of a ‘United Republic’ was infuriating. As far as he was concerned the nations were separate for a reason, the Fire Nation being of course the strongest among them. Although this sentiment at least was in hiding, unlike the advisor’s feelings towards the Avatar and the current Fire Lord’s pet project. Akui realized this would likely be his downfall, but he couldn’t stand it.

The Fire Nation was a sorry sight these days indeed. As the years progressed it felt as if with each new decree or so called ‘reform,’ the Nation he had been so proud of became stranger and stranger still to the man. He could hardly recognize his home anymore and he wondered what this new world would bring to it yet. 

He thought, in the beginning, that throwing his loyalty in with the new Fire Lord would give him room to maintain the Nation’s pride after the war. He could help steer things back to the way they should have been; a strong military, love for one’s nationalism and independence from the lower nations. If they could not rule, they could at least be solitary and proud. But that’s not how it went at all.

Fire Lord Zuko seemed as intent on involving them in the affairs of other nations as much as he did of stripping them of their individual, national pride. This new, proposed curriculum was proof enough of that, completely rewriting numerous military histories and prides for their army! It made Akui sick. And to make matters even worse, he seemed to have lost all standing as an advisor over these past five years.

Akui remembers working on Ozai’s counsel. He wasn’t the most high-ranking delegate but he held a voice, regardless, and could sway the policies of the nation in the right direction. He’ll never forget the pride he felt when his push for the army’s patent on the warships went through a whole month in advance, giving them the upper hand they needed during the war. Now it was all gone. Akui’s plan to gain the ear of the young Fire Lord had backfired. Now he was the only one left from the original counsel.

The past few years had seen many of the original advisors forced into retirement, a peaceful way to say they’d been given the boot. Of course, Ozai’s most high ranking advisors had been the first to go and the rest were slowly and surely being seeded out. The only safe bet was to hide one’s true loyalties to the nation, and the old way. Unfortunately for Akui, this was becoming harder and harder as time withered on, and he was catching the Fire Lord’s attention the less he could keep his temper under check. Akui was sure of it, he was next to be rid of.

He couldn’t allow this. No, the man wouldn’t sit idly by waiting for the formal, cold hand of fate to kick his feet out from under him, destroying all his hard work. He’d risen through the ranks and he would do almost anything to stay where he was.

The prison tower before him was cold and resilient and on a night like this, when the winds pushed rain like knives beneath one’s clothes, it was as imposing as the promise of a life-long sentence inside. Akui pushed forward, pulling his hood further over his face as he ducked below a guard tower. He might have found this fun if he were a younger man, back in his army days, ducking below enemy lines. But there was no amusement here as he snuck through the gates, past the watch posts and through one of the doors by blind-spot. 

It was no lie, this wasn’t the most high-ranking prison in the Fire Nation. It was nothing like the one on Boiling Rock, or the great prison tower that held the previous Fire Lord and at one point the Dragon of the West when he was still considered a traitor. No this tower was more accustomed to prisoners of non-violent crimes. Traitors, conspirators and war-criminals once considered high ranking members of society. Admittedly it made Akui feel cold to think how many of those he once openly could call friends now resided here. One in particular, who was his purpose of visiting.

The celebrations for the anniversary of the war’s end aggravated Akui to no end, but he could admit it came in handy as most of the prison guards were off for the next day. This allowed him to traverse the halls without being spotted or stopped until he came to his purpose for coming. Akui stepped into the room housing the closed cell, closing the door behind him quietly before turning to look open the crouched figure.

“Neikana, it’s been a long time…” Akui said simply. He took a step closer to stand directly in front of the cell bars.

Neikana laughed lightly, her back to him as she sat facing the window, looking up towards the clouded, stormy skies. Her shoulders were at ease but Akui could see her nails as they dug into her prison pants, shaking.

“It’s nights like these...that I hope he can’t sleep, or any of them.” Her voice was raspy and harsh, he would guess from disuse. It was a fact that almost made him smile. Neikana hadn’t talked after her arrest, refusing to name her co-conspirators in planning the assassination attempt. After the Fire Lord had survived and the assassin had been captured, Neikana was the first name on the list of conspirators, she had been the organizer after all, but she refused to out her fellow loyalists. Akui respected her for this, and the disrespect acted upon her by her imprisonment only served to fuel his anger. Looking back, it had been even more painful to watch her surrounded by palace guards and carted away like a common traitor. Standing up and turning to face him, Akui was disheartened to find some of that fire and rage had left her, replaced now by a sick acceptance of her lot in jail.

“But, even still, it’s nice to see an old friend.” She said, a formal smile upon her aged lips. Akui took the initiate to bow in greeting and was pleased to see her bow back. They didn’t have much in the way of the old anymore, but they had their formalities. And regardless of sentence, Akui could still treat her with the title she’d lost to changing atmospheres. “What do I owe the pleasure of seeing you again in this humble cell?”

“I need,” Akui was hesitant to speak it out loud, despite how much he’d thought about it. His mind was made up, yet the implications of his decision gave him pause, especially with one of the consequences standing blatantly before him, “-I need your connections.”

Neikana’s eyes widened a little, yet she did not falter. “My connections? You don’t mean my-”

“Yes,” He interrupted, hands clenching into fists at his sides, “to the underworld. I’m making my move.”

Neikana sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose before steadying him with a look, “I understand, Akui. But be rational. What are the chances there is anyone left who could get much farther than I did?”

“I have to try.” It was hard to remain at a steady whisper with the anger Akui could feel boiling up, just as it had earlier at the meeting with the Fire Lord, “I can’t stand idly by any longer, and I’m nearing the end of my political leaning. Soon there will be little I can do.”

“But think clearly my friend. What would you rather have? A comfortable retirement you might be able to use to teach true loyalty to rising dignitaries? Or a life-sentence in this purgatory?” Neikana was stepping closer to the bars, her gaze intent on trying to get Akui to see something he couldn’t stand to accept. 

He growled and her brow rose slightly, “No. Even if I fail I’ll know I didn’t sit to the side any longer and let the Nation fall to shame. I have to do something,” He gripped the bars and leant closer, demanding, pleading, “I need your connections to the underworld.”

Neikana’s expression was surprised as she watched him, eyes moving over his face as if she was trying to read him inside to out. His hands trembled slightly on the bars but he stood resolute before her. He could tell the moment she’d come to a decision. She sighed and moved back a little in order to sit down in the middle of her call.

“I won’t give them to you-”

“Dammit Neikana, I-” He stopped on the verge of shouting as she raised her hand to stop him. Then he found himself startled as her expression grew impossibly grave.

“But I will give you something else.” She spoke slightly quieter, compelling Akui to sit as well, close to the bars where he folded his legs beneath himself. He waited and listened.

“There are none left within my connections to the underworld who could take down the Fire Lord, much less the Avatar.” Neikana began, and Akui could feel the heat rise in his hands. Admittedly he hadn’t considered him, more concerned with the state of the Fire Nation. But surely the Avatar would not hesitate to march in as he had before to avenge his fallen friend, if they were successful in that regard.

“Then what do you have?” He asked, leaning forward slightly. He knew she had something now, and his nerves were prickling to find out what.

“When I worked under Commander Zhao I was privy to some limited, inside information only he had knowledge of. He trusted me, to whatever limited extent he was capable of trusting anyone.” She began, her eyes far off, as though she were recalling an old memory, “He had in his younger years plundered an old Library, lost in the sands of the Earth Kingdom. And if the rumors I’d heard are true, it’s long gone now.”

“A Library? What does that have to do with-” Akui’s hands shook slightly but Neikana stopped him.

“Listen. Zhao had taken numerous documents from that Library. One we know now gave him key information to the location of the Moon Spirit. But he had others, some of which he allowed me to read. One in particular,” She fixed her gaze back onto Akui, and he straightened reflexively, “detailed the location of a great, destructive power, locked away for over a millennium.”

She paused and this gave Akui time to process what she’d just said. A power? This sounded like pure fantasy if he was being completely honest, a story traders would share at the ports to give them time to swindle people out of their money. But Neikana was never one to jest, and if her expression was evident she believed there was validation to what she was saying. Akui swallowed and decided he could stand to at least hear her out.

“The scrolls Zhao had didn’t expand on what this power was, but what they did tell me was where to find it and what exactly the purpose for it was.” She continued.

“And?” Akui pressed.

“To restore the Nation of Fire to glory. It’s sole purpose is to be wielded to control and destroy all enemies of those loyal to Fire and the Sun.” 

There was quiet for a brief moment between them, the storm raging outside the prison walls, before Akui released a frustrated sigh. “Neikana...you know how this sounds?” He rubbed his eyes haggardly.

“I’m well aware. But you know prison hasn’t driven me mad just yet. And I wouldn’t give you this information if I wasn’t trying to help you.” She gave him a hard, determined expression, one that forced him to believe her. He knew she had no motive to deceive him here, but still.

“So what then? You expect me to go on this wild-turtleduck chase for a vague relic? Throw all my standing away for some legend I’ve never even laid my eyes upon? And even if it exists, say its worthless to our cause?” His frustration was becoming more and more apparent with every word, the heat spiking in his fists as he fought the urge to shout. But Neikana seemed unbothered, rather even a little amused.

“Think of it this way Akui, you have options. You can go on this hunt, maybe find a relic to restore the Nation’s glory, maybe find an old piece of junk? So what, contribute it to a museum and you’d be done with it. You could still hire a half-baked mercenary if that will satisfy you and get yourself thrown in here just like me. Or...accept your cushy retirement package and live out your life in what-ifs.” She leaned back slightly from the bars, ending her argument, “It’s up to you old friend.”

Akui leaned forward, his burning fists stabbing against his knees as he looked down towards the prison floor. Thunder boomed and shook the window, a flash of lightning casting the room in light momentarily. He looked up at the silhouette of his friend and conspirator, feeling the heat spike in the room as his resolve hardened.

“Where do I find it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is done! Apologies for any type errors I may have missed in editing but I hope this starts to clear up what can be expected in the story to come. Trouble is brewing and for now the GAang are none the wiser. Speaking of, next chapter will be a little sweeter. Reunions and relationships shared. Maybe a little drama, we'll see. 
> 
> I've been so appreciative of the feedback so far and so happy to hear people are interested! Like I said, it's been a while since I've done this, so any feedback is helpful and welcome. Hope you guys like this chapter, and thanks so much!


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